The Disillusioned Land

Chapter 28 - Remnants of a Past sin

I make my way through the illusory door and emerge inside the shrine once again, the first of the group to do so. I decide to not wait for the others and instead leave the room for some fresh air. I sit down on the wooden stairs leading up to the shrine building. It's the dead of night and the air is already cold, but it doesn't really bother me right now. The night sky is empty, of course I've been well aware of that from the start. The fact burns into my mind like never before after talking to the lunar princesses in person. As if rebelling against all that's happened, the cold night remains serene and calming.

After a few moments to compose myself I start planning out the few days I have to prepare for the coming conflict. In my current state I would have to rely on Reimu and the rest far too much. The knife gifted to me by the lunarians certainly seems to be more than an ordinary blade, but I've yet to discover the true extent of its power. Assuming it's as powerful as it is ornate I wouldn't have to worry about offensive capability much, even so my mobility and defenses are subpar to say the least. Not only are all my opponents capable of flight, but Yukari can use her gaps to evade me. A single attack from her would be enough to seriously injure me or worse. Even though I likely won't have to face them myself I still have to worry about Junko and the goddess of hell. I don't even know what those two are capable of, I suppose fixing that should be my first priority.

I hear the rest of the group behind me and stand up from the stairs to rejoin them. Before I can leave I notice a 100 yen coin wedged between the floorboards. I pull it out and place it in my pocket. Did someone drop this, perhaps a donation to the shrine gone wrong? It matters not, it is mine now, maybe being close to that magician is already affecting me.

"What are you thinking wandering off on your own like this already?" The shrine maiden scolds me as soon as she notices me.

"Just went out for some fresh air. Got pretty dizzy in that space dream void thing."

"That doesn't matter! You should have told someone. I thought something happened to you while we were still in the dream world."

"Didn't know I was that important to you."

"I thought you understood how serious this is, but if you're wandering around and joking like this..."

"Alright, got it, won't happen again."

"Hate to interrupt whatever it is you two are doing, but in case no one else noticed, it's about 2 am right now. We should probably continue our planning tomorrow." Kasen says while heading towards the guest rooms.

"Yeah she's right, we're picking up where we left off tomorrow afternoon. You should probably crash here for today as well, Marisa."

"Sure, sure. Wasn't planning on leaving anyway."

The group scatters off into their respective rooms. I didn't get a chance to ask anyone about Junko or that goddess of hell, I'll just have to remember to do it tomorrow. Maybe Kasen will tell me during our training, assuming it's still happening. She certainly wouldn't need full concentration to beat me. It'll be a miracle if I manage to fall asleep with all these thoughts going around in my head.

...

"It starts with..."

My alarm wakes me from my slumber. I check the time, it's a little past 6 am. No one else should be awake right now, there's something I have to do by myself before they wake. As I contemplate on my plan a sharp sensation digs into the back of my head. I leap from my bed out of instinct. A 500 yen coin lies upon my pillow. I would almost be mad if I didn't love money so much. I quickly pocket the coin and leave my room.

I walk over to a small patch of forest at the very back of the shrine grounds, just barely in reach of the protective barrier. As far as I can see, I am alone. I retrieve the knife from my pocket and look at the engravings once again. I have an idea on how this ended up in the hands of the lunarians, and where it came from to begin with. Well, nothing left to do but test it I suppose. I draw the blade across my finger to draw a small amount of blood. The crimson liquid flows along the blade's edge and disappears as if seeping into the blade itself. I wasn't sure last time, but now I'm certain. The engraving upon the blade moved as if alive. Chances are, no... there's no other possibility, it's that same parasite from before, the one she created back then. Somehow the creature has been permanently fused to the blade, perhaps the pearl crest on its hilt has something to do with it.

Putting aside how it was created I decide to test the blade on one of the nearby trees. As I raise the weapon, preparing to strike, the engraving brightens its hue. Despite never leaving my hand the edge of the blade dances in the air, making impossible arcs across the tree bark. When I lower my hand once more the blade returns to its original colour, and then even darker than that. It's exhausted, I can feel it somehow. I look over to the tree and see a large chunk missing from it. Within the hole I carved I notice something glimmering. A single 1000 yen note is embedded within the tree, completely unharmed by my assault. I yank on the paper and manage to extract it without problems, what a great day!

I head back to the shrine building and prepare for my meeting with Kasen.